It’s all in perception. WE know that the poor in this country would be considered ‘middle class’ or better, by many in the rest of the world, but when they look at themselves in relation to others in THIS country, they are poor. Saying they’re not poor won’t make them not feel that way, it will only turn them against anyone who’s saying it. Not a way to win friends and influence people.
Of course, you are right. But, by not telling them the truth about how fortunate they are to live in a country that gives them the freedoms they have AND helps to keep them from "slipping through the cracks", they will never recover from their self-destructive delusions.
When I was in college, there were no Pell Grants or student loans which I could have used to help me with college expenses. I paid my way through sometimes working three jobs at a time AND going to classes. It was very hard, but I have a sense of accomplishment that I did this myself. I had a roommate that I'll never forget one year. Her father paid all her expenses, she did not need to work. He was a worker for an automobile maker in Detroit and, when the early '70s gas crisis hit, he got laid off but he STILL supported her. She slept in through almost ALL her morning classes and ended up getting an FA (failure due to absence). No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get her to wake up and go to classes. Talk about lazy! It really infuriated me that she didn't have to lift a finger to pay for anything and even knowing her Dad and family were short on money, she failed her classes anyway.
It is kinda like that with many people today (not all, of course) who just expect to be taken care of. They are oblivious to how hard others work so that they can survive. I always said if I lost the good job I had, I would do anything I could - even go back to waiting tables or cleaning houses (some of the many things I did while in college) rather than give up. It's a personal pride issue, a good kind of pride, that more people NEED to learn. I know for some there is just this sense of hopelessness. That nobody ever expected better for them. We need to do more to instill a genuine hope in people - a hope in themselves that they CAN be something, that they CAN do something, that they DO have worth.
I think the "welfare to work" programs were a good idea. But anything can and will be scammed. The way we "help" the poor today in this country is not healthy - not for them and not for the country. We need some good fresh ideas. Pandering only will lead this country to ruin. It is slowly going there now and it won't take much longer.
Hope you have a good night.